Sheet-delivery mechanism



w. K. H0DGMAN.I

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20. 1915.

"1,332,665; Patented Mar. 2,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w. K. HODGMAN. SHE'El DELIVERY MECHANISM.

APPL'TCATION FILED OCT. 20.1915.

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS. K. HODGrMAN, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MIEI-ILEPRINTING PRESS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHEET-DELIVERY MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,839.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Taunton, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovments in Sheet-Delivery Mechanism, of which the following 18 aspecification.

At the present time, one of the most popular devices for deliveringsheets. from a printing press consists of a reciprocating carriageequipped with either sheet carrying sticks or tapes which receive eachsheet from the usual delivery tapes, printed side up, and carry it topiling position, during the outward stroke of the carriage, and whichare then removed from beneath the sheet, allowing it to fall upon thevdelivery board during the return or inward stroke of the carriage.

This reciprocating carriage sheet delivery is very satisfactoryexcepting for use 1n the rapid piling of full size sheets and 1t thenbecomes inadequate because the sheet carrying sticks or tapes, asthecase may be, leave the tail end of the sheet at the same level as arethe tops of the sticks or the tapes during their outward stroke andconsequently the tail end of thesheet being piled 1s apt to be caught bythe front parts of the stlc s or tapes on their next outward. stroke 1tnot having had time to fall below the path of the said sticks or tapes.

The object of my invention is to provide a sheet delivery device of thecharacter described but free from the defect mentioned, and I accomplishmy object by moving, the sticks or tapes out at one level and returningthem at a lower level so that the sheet being piled leaves the sticks ortapes at a level below their outward path.

In the drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to atwo-revolution bed and cylinder printing press in which it will beunderstood-all the parts, excepting those introduced by my invention,are constructed andv operated in the usual manner. It is obvious,however,,that while I have. described and illustrated my invention asapplied to.a certain type of printing press, it is applicable to anytype of printing press or other machine wherein it is desirable toreceive,

carry and pile in a rapid and orderly manner, fiat sheets of paper orthe like. In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of atwo-revolution bed and cylinder printing press, embodying my inventionwith some of the parts broken away to more plainly show the constructionof others;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Figs. 3 and a are respectively a side elevation and top plan of details.

The moving parts are mounted in suitable frame-work consisting of theusual side frames land 2 and cross stays, not shown. The usual feedboard 3, impression cylinder 4:,stripper fingers 5 and sheet-carryingtapes 6 are all plainly shown and operate in the well known manner toreceive and convey the sheets through the press and to the place wherethey are received by the sheet delivery or piling device, which is ofthe reciprocatory type and operates to receive the sheets from the tapes6 and to carry and pile them, the same side up as received, upon thedelivery board 7.

That I will designate and refer to as the reciprocating carriageconsists of the two side bars 8, eight flanged track wheels 9 rotatablymounted on an equal number of studs 10 fixed in the bars 8. front tapedrum 11 and rear tape drum 12, each rotatably mounted on theirrespective stay rods 13 and 1 1, which are bolted between the ends ofthe bars 8.

Stretched around the tape drums 11 and 12 are the endless sheet carryingand piling tapes 15. The upper runs of these tapes pass through the tapeclamps 16, fixed on the stay rod 17, which is bolted between the twotrack rails 18.

The tape clamps 16 each consist (Figs. 3 and 4) of the U-chaped piece 16and the swinging tongue 19, and they operate in the usual manner topermit the tapes 15 to travel with. the reciprocating carriage duringits outward or sheet carrying stroke and to clamp and hold the upperruns of the tapes, causing them to peel from beneath and pile the sheetsduring the reciprocating carriages inward or sheet-piling stroke.

In every reciprocating carriage sheet delivery, previous to myinvention, the track rails are stationary and guide the reciprocatingcarriage and its sheet carrier, tapes or sticks asthe case may be, toandfro in exactly the same path, or in different paths having portionsinclined to other portions, or the carriage itself is pivoted to permitone end to rise and fall with consequent change of inclination to thehorizontal. Without some provlslon for change 1n elevatlon of theoutward and return path of the carrying and piling members, the speed ofsuch a delivery is limited, for full size sheets, because when the tailend of the sheet parts company with the top of the sheet carrier as thelatthe total vertical travel of the carrier is sub-,

stantially equal to its vertical thickness; then by gradually loweringthe track rails from their uppermost level commencing shortly after thereciprocating carriage has begun its outward stroke, the carrier and thesheetupon it are gradually lowered until when the tail end of the sheetparts company with the top of the carrier, the whole sheet including itstail end is left at a level below the path of the carrier at thebeginning of its next outward stroke and free from any possiblecollision with the front parts of the carrier and with ample time tofall below the lowermost path of the carrier as it completes the strokeand delivers the next sheet.

Having this end in view, the track rails 18 are mounted on four studs 20fixed in four levers 21, two of which are fixed on the short 7 rockshafts 22, journaled in the frame standards at the left, and the othertwo are fixed on the long rock shaft 23 journaled in the frame standardsat the right. Also fixed on the shafts 22 are the two levers 24 andtheir free ends are connected by suitable studs and by the two verticalconnecting rods 25 to the levers 26 and 27 which are fixed on the longrock shaft 28 journaled in the side frames 1 and 2. I

The lever 27 is a plain singleend lever but 26 is a bell crank lever,and connected to its lower end by a suitable stud is theconnecting rod29 which is forked at its other end to slide on the cam shaft 30 and itcarries the stud 31 and its roller 32, which latter cooperates with thetrack rail position.- ing cam 33 fixed on one end of the cam shaft 30.The cam shaft 30 is driven by,

shaft from the cam 33 is'the usual reciprogearing (not shown) in theusual manner to make one revolution during each complete cycle of thepress;

Fixed on the opposite end of the cam cating carriage crank arm 34:which, by

,means of the usual studs,xconnecting rods,

levers and rock shaft, all plainly shown, acts to reciprocate thereciprocating carriage, in the-usual and well known manner and complete'my new and novel sheet -'delivery mechanism. 7

The operation is as follows In the drawings I have shown thereciprocating car-- riage at the beginning of its outward stroke and itwill now be readily understood that the track rails 18, are positionedvertically by the cam 33 through the connections described, and theoperation is such that during the continuance of the stroke thereciprocating carriage and sheet carrying and piling tapes 15 are at theupper level until the front tape drum 11 is directly above the tail endof-a full size sheet piled on the delivery board 7, when they graduallysink a distance equal to the diameter of the tape drum 11 until the tapedrum 11 has passed on the inward stroke from beneath the tail end of thesheet being piled, when they gradually rise again tothe upper levelready for the next sheet. 1

At 35, Fig. 1, I have shown in dotted lines the position of the tail endof a full size sheet when the tape drum 11 passes from beneath it, andit is obvious that the drum cannot collide with it on its next outwardstroke because the extreme tail end of the falling sheet 35 is alreadylevel with the under side of the drum and the drum must complete itsinward stroke and commence to move outward before it can reach the sheetand by that time the sheet will have fallen to astill lower level. I v

As will be understood, the cam 33 makes one revolution during eachcomplete. cycle of the press or, in other words, it makes one revolutionfor every sheet printed, and it is sojshaped. as to sustain thereciprocating carriage at its upper level during about onetwelfth of theoutward stroke; then tentwelfths of the revolution is used to graduallylower the carriage and the sheet upon the tapes to its lowest levelwhich is reached just as the tail end of a full size sheet parts companywith the tapes 15 and the remaining one-twelfth of a revolution is usedto raise the carriage to its upper level again, whichis reached just asit begins its, outward stroke;

I claimt V 1. In a sheet delivery mechanism of the character described,the combinationlwith reciprocating; carriage, of a track thereforextending above thepiling table, andmeans to lower the track bodilyduring the piling stroke of the carriage and to raise the track bodilyprior to the next stroke, whereby to discharge the sheet at a lowerlevel than that at which it is carried, to prevent collision between thedischarged sheets and the carriage in 1ts next stroke.

2. In a sheet delivery mechanism of the character described, thecombination with reciprocating carriage, of a track therefor extendingabove the piling table, rock shafts extending transversely of thecarriage path, lever arms on said shaft and supporting the track at itstwo ends, means acting in synchronism with the reciprocation of thecarriage to rock the shaft to lower the track bodily during the finalportion of the delivery stroke of the carriage and to raise the trackbodily during the final portion of the return stroke without disturbingits relation to the horizontal, whereby to discharge the sheet at alower level than that at which it is first carried outwardly to preventcollision between the discharged sheets and the carriage in its nextstroke.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIS K. HOD GMAN.

Witnesses:

FRED H. Norris, NOBLE W. ASHLEY.

